I Want You to Stay (Tahorra Week)
by Alaburn
Summary: Tahno and Korra meet once again under unlikely circumstances. A series of heart-racing events leads to an ultimate change in themselves as individuals and in the way they feel about each other. But can anything stay the same? - Written for the prompts of Tahorra Week 2014
1. Chapter 1 Sin

**I Want You to Stay**

* * *

_Chapter One_

Sin

* * *

"Don't speak," the deadly voice hissed in her ear as a cold hand pressed to her mouth.

Korra forced herself not to react at once like her old self would have. It had only been a year since she had left her home in the South Pole and begun her new life in Republic City, but what a year of transformations it had been. She would be patient. She would not act now and think later. She would size up this strange opponent from the dark, moonlit park before giving him what was coming to him.

"I don't mean you any harm," he continued, still barely perceptible.

_You better hope I don't mean you any_, Korra thought to herself, tensely exhaling through her nose.

"I need your help, but we can't talk here."

The hand dropped away and the person stepped back, allowing Korra to whip around and face the source of the whispering voice. For a second her mind went blank. It was Tahno, but it wasn't. He looked so different. The last time she saw him was when he had been among hundreds of others all clamoring to her to get their bending restored. He had seemed so grateful when she did give it back to him, so full of hope and promise as water once again obeyed his commands, but then she had not seen him again. Not until now, weeks later.

He was a mess, that was for certain. Grime and blood covered his skin, and his clothes were torn, but that wasn't even what made her falter. There was fear in the eyes half hidden behind his lank locks and a tense anxiety in the way he kept glancing around them. He held himself as though he was ready to spring into action and defend himself at any moment, or run for his life. "Will you come with me?" he asked.

The look on his face said everything his words weren't. He was in trouble. Desperate trouble. And she was his last hope.

She didn't think long about it, but just responded on her first instinct. "Yes."

She let him grab her hand and pull her along quickly as they ran through the shadows of the park. Soon they were out of the wooded area and weaving through alleys and stairways in a part of the city Korra had never been in. They finally stopped at a dead end that looked to her like all the other alleyways they had just been through, but Tahno seemed to recognize where they were and even relaxed a little.

"We should be safe here for the time being."

"What do you mean 'safe'?" Korra demanded, still remembering to keep her voice down. "What's going on?"

"It's the Monsoons," he replied as his back slumped against the brick wall. "I've gotten in pretty deep with them."

"As in the _Red_ Monsoons? The gang made up of only waterbenders?" she asked as he nodded. "And are you really surprised you wound up in danger getting involved with them?" she snapped derisively, her shocked expression tuning into a scowl.

"Look, I didn't know what else to do," he shot right back at her. "A few months ago I had gone from years of scraping my way to the top to absolutely nothing. I had nothing left to lose and no one left who cared what happened to me anymore. But the Monsoons offered me a place to belong even though I had nothing to offer them in return. Or… at least," he paused for a moment to stare at the ground. "Nothing I could offer yet. But they've since found use for me."

"Because you can bend again?" she said, more placidly this time. She couldn't judge him for whatever desperation had driven him to. She remembered Mako's story about when he and Bolin had been on the streets.

"Partly," Tahno answered, also calming his tone. "It's complicated." He straightened himself and met her eyes again. He now seemed to her the way he had at the police station not so long ago. Weary, meek, almost broken, but still with an inch of pride left. Never completely without it. "I know I've made a stupid mistake. _Believe me_, I know. I've already tried to get out. I'll spare you the details of what they did to me the first time I tried to talk my way out of their services."

"Don't worry about sparing me" Korra said, her concern heightening as her gut twisted with the thought of him being tortured by thugs. "Are you hurt right now?"

"No. That's the great thing about the Red Monsoons; they can beat you half to death and then heal you afterwards to keep you fresh for whatever it is they want you for," he said with a shrug.

She shook her head in confusion. "How can there even be that many gang members left? I didn't give any of _them_ their bending back."

"Because Amon had mostly managed to catch Triple Threats. They used to be the most powerful gang in Republic City as well as the most ostentatious, but that's what made them bigger targets. The Monsoons were always quieter, and now they're the most prominent and the most dangerous; they've been taking over all the old Triple Threat territory like vulture wasps."

"Okay, well, if you would be willing to come forward, maybe I could get a taskforce going. With Tenzin and Beifong's help-"

"That's not going to work. You don't understand, something's about to happen. Soon. They're planning to take out the councilman from the Southern Water Tribe."

"What?! You mean assassinate him? Why?" Korra demanded, feeling a protective surge arise.

"I'm not even entirely sure what the end goal is, but I think it's mostly power lust. They've got the city's underbelly and now they want government control. Tarrlok's replacement for the Northern Tribe is already a Monsoon. They want the Southern seat too."

"I can't believe this."

"You have to. I know you don't want to, and you probably don't want to believe what else I've been a part of lately, but I'm trying to atone now. Help me stop them."

"When is this supposed to happen?"

"Tonight. In less than an hour, to be precise."

"What will we have to do?"

"We have to act fast, and we'll have to break a few laws."

Korra's heart was pounding as her eyes widened with understanding. Everything about this was wrong. It was Tahno, for spirits' sake. How could she trust him? But if he was right, an innocent man could die very soon. Breaking laws? Well, she wasn't a stranger to that, but she had been trying to turn a new leaf, be the kind of Avatar the world could look up to, depend on.

One more look in Tahno's eyes, and she knew what she _wanted_ to do, and her strong eagerness had her realizing how dangerous his pull was. She had felt it the first time they met. Wrong, dark, sinful. Why did every meeting with this guy result in a battle within herself? But right now she had no time to weigh options.

"I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2 Downpour

**I Want You to Stay**

* * *

_Chapter Two_

Downpour

* * *

The rain came lightly at first, just a few drops splattering against Korra and Tahno's skin as they slunk through the streets. It was well past midnight and most decent people were tucked away in their houses by now. Tenzin would be annoyed that she hadn't shown up at the island yet, but he would probably just assume that she was hanging out with her friends. Which wasn't entirely false; she and Tahno were… allies at least.

Tahno had filled Korra in on the specifics as efficiently as he could in the limited time frame. The targeted councilman was attending a late night meeting that the Northern Water Tribe Councilman had arranged. The moment he left City Hall, a signal would be sent around to the spot where over a dozen Red Monsoon members would be waiting to ambush his car. Everything was being meticulously orchestrated in order to make his death look like an accident, but if there was the slightest whiff of the Police Force nearby, the assailants were to carry out the murder as quickly as possible, even at the risk of discovery. The leader of the Monsoons had made sure the thugs he had assigned to the job were expendable.

Tahno had been one of those expendables, and since he had failed to show up at the ambush site, his own life was now on the line. They had to move with stealth but also speed, for there was no telling how close the councilman was to the location where the Monsoons waited. Korra did her best to keep her wits sharp as she followed Tahno's lead and tried not to waste time wondering how a simple nighttime stroll had turned into chaos so quickly. Not to say that she was all that worried. She could handle a few waterbenders, especially with an ex-probending champion as backup. Never mind how touchy their history was.

They had halted in the shadows of an alley next to a main road, but all Korra could perceive was that they were somewhere in the eastern part of the city - the more rundown part.

"Why are the Monsoons even going through all this trouble? Don't they know about the plan to replace the council with an elected president?" she asked as they rested for a brief moment.

"The Monsoon leader wants to stop that from happening, and with two councilman under his control, he's more likely to succeed," Tahno answered while carefully peering around the corner.

Korra huffed in disbelief. "Who is this guy, anyway?"

"His name is Tumak, but he goes by Mad Wolf. He was Lightning Bolt Zolt's main turf competitor for years, until you so graciously made sure Zolt stayed out of the way for good that is," he informed her with a sly glance out of the corner of his eye.

Korra could nearly feel herself swelling with indignation. "What is that supposed to mean?" she blurted out without remembering to check her voice. Luckily, the rainfall was getting heavier, keeping their position from being given away.

"Shh," he reminded her as he pressed her back into the wall. "On this next street is where they're hiding. Four alleys open onto the road and there's three or four thugs in each one. When his car pulls up, they'll freeze the water on the pavement and make him crash, and that's when they'll move in."

"When do _we_ move in?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as he described the heinous scheme.

"If we go this back way we can sneak up on the groups on this side of the street one at a time, taking out half of them before it even happens."

"You don't mean 'take out' as in…?" Korra probed uncertainly, leaving the question hanging as she tilted her head slightly.

"No, we don't have to kill them," he filled in for her with a ghost of a smirk. "I'm sure your skillset can otherwise incapacitate and detain waterbenders."

"Well yeah," she replied, a little affronted. "I just didn't know what _you_ had in mind."

"You'll always think the worst of me, won't you?" he said, leaning closer as he peered at her daringly.

"It's hard to forget when a person doesn't play fair," she countered quickly.

"Well I'm not playing anymore."

It suddenly dawned on Korra how close their faces had gotten to each other, and that their bodies were practically plastered together as they hid in the shadows. Her already thudding heartbeat went up another notch as she felt heat radiate all over. The rain was absolutely pouring by now, and it was drenching them even from the shelter of the buildings on either side of them. Even so, in that spell of a few seconds she didn't feel cold at all.

"We should move," Tahno finally said as he eased away from where he had had her pinned against the bricks.

They carried out Tahno's earlier suggested plan with even more ease than they had expected. When they approached the first group, Tahno knocked them out with ice, and Korra earthbent them to the ground, confining their arms and legs so they couldn't get away when they came around. The same was done to the second group, but just as they were finishing up, the glare of headlights lit the street.

"Shit," Tahno murmured as they ran out onto the road.

The sheets of rain made for an entire roadway of ammunition for a small army of waterbenders, and they had already formed the path of ice to wreck the Satomobile in its path. Korra acted quickly, melting the ice under the skidding car and jolting it in place with earthbending. Then she and Tahno converged on the scene to protect the councilman, and not a moment too soon. They fought back to back as Red Monsoons swarmed around them, deflecting storms of razor-like shards of ice the gang members formed from the rain.

Korra accessed her Avatar level bending and made a huge water whip, knocking several of the thugs back into the buildings along the street. When she turned around she saw Tahno using his probending style moves, quick dodges and strikes, faking one way and then moving another before the other person knew what to think.

There turned out to be a few extra reserve groups of Monsoons, making their number much higher than Tahno had originally guessed. They seemed to keep coming and coming, like the rainstorm pelting them from above. But even with just the two of them, Tahno and Korra managed to make short work of the thugs, blending Tahno's modern style and her traditional bending fluidly, like they had been working together for years.

After they seemed to have cleared out any remaining Monsoon members, Korra and Tahno stopped to regard each other, both breathing hard.

"Not bad, Avatar," Tahno said to her as he swept the dripping hair out of his face.

Korra almost laughed. "Please, that was a piece of cake."

"You know, we should have a rematch sometime," he suggested, coming closer to her.

"For?" she asked, confused.

"That tiebreaker in the championship match. I want a rematch."

This time she did laugh. "That was ages ago, and anyway, why does it matter?"

"I'm just asking for a little friendly sparring to even the score; you don't have to make anything out of it," he replied with a shrug.

"Evening the score would be implying you could beat me," she disputed, taking a step to further close the distance between them.

A second spell might have begun once more in the rain, which was finally beginning to lighten up, if not for the sound of the car door creaking open behind them. Korra stepped over to help as the elderly councilman stumbled out, holding his hand against his head and letting out a strained groan.

"What happened?" he asked, looking disoriented. His eyes widened as they scanned the destruction. "Who did this?"

"Don't worry, Councilman. It's me, Korra. We're going to get you some help." She turned to look at Tahno as she attempted to help support the injured man. "Tahno, where's the nearest healing clinic?"

"It isn't far," he answered monotonously. "I'll help you get there, but then I should go. You can call the police from there and tell them what happened." His face was suddenly blank now, all traces of camaraderie and teasing erased.

"Go?" she repeated. "Go where? You have to help me. You have to give any information you have on the Red Monsoons."

"You've got the Northern Councilman for that; I'm sure he'll crack after some time in Chief Beifong's interrogation room. Besides, I did what I came to do. I can't stick around," he said gruffly as he came to the other side of the councilman and helped Korra support him. Then he began leading them away from the Satomobile which appeared too damaged to drive.

Korra stayed silent as they traversed the two blocks to the small clinic and got the councilman inside, but when Tahno turned to leave as he had said he would, she appealed to him one more time.

"Wait!" she called, going out the door after him. "At least think of your own safety!"

"I'm not safe anywhere, so there's no point in hiding."

"Don't be such an idiot," she said, trying to make it sound like a reprimand but came out more as begging.

He looked at her over his shoulder, a sad resignation in his expression. "Too late," he responded dully before walking away into the night.


	3. Chapter 3 Valor

**I Want You to Stay**

* * *

_Chapter Three_

Valor

* * *

The police had been notified and were on their way to handle the situation; there was also now a separate force out looking for the Northern Water Tribe Councilman. Korra knew it was her duty to stay and wait for the officers to explain what happened, but she couldn't shake the cold dread that had settled in her stomach when Tahno had left. It was obvious there was something he had been holding back from her, some reason he couldn't run away. Why else would he go right back out there? And with the look of someone who knew he was a dead man walking?

She would get her answer. At least that's what she told herself as she went back out into the night after making the call to the police headquarters. She headed in the direction Tahno had gone in, eyes and ears alert for any sign of him. What she would give to have Naga with her right now!

The rain had faded to a mere drizzle, but it still made visibility weak. The fuzzy, yellow glow from the streetlamps gave her something to work with as she jogged down the road, swiveling her head from left to right to scan her surroundings. Korra still had little idea of where exactly in the city she was, and the more she ran the more lost she became. After what felt like hours, she finally stopped, exhausted and almost ready to admit that she would never find him. And that's when she saw him.

The distant sound of low voices and scuffles had her turning to her left just in time to see him being dragged through the side entrance of what appeared to be an abandoned factory. She followed without a second thought, keeping silent until she could figure out what to do. She stepped inside the old building and crept along the dark, dusty hallway, trailing the sound of more voices. She eventually came to an occupied room and carefully looked inside to analyze the situation.

Tahno was in the middle of the room, sitting in a chair with his hands presumably bound behind his back. Several Monsoon members stood around his hunched figure, with one in particular looming over him. The tall, imposing man wore a tailored black suit and a single, silver ring on one hand with a large, round, red stone in its center. He could be none other than the infamous Tumak, leader of the Red Monsoons. Or Mad Wolf, as he preferred to be called.

"You've made a quite mess for yourself, little boy." The eerie voice was smooth as silk, and yet it held power. It was a voice that was used to being submitted to. "I thought I was going to have to spend all week tracking you down, but yet here you are. Why did you come back?"

Korra pulled back slightly to keep from being seen as the gang leader began circling the chair. She wouldn't mind knowing herself why he had returned so willingly to them.

"You still think you're safe because you're family? Well let me tell you somethin', blood don't mean shit when you turn traitor. I'm not above killing a rat who threatens my entire operation, even if that rat is my cousin's son."

"I never realized our family ties meant anything to you, Wolf. I was under the impression you were only interested in the PR benefits of having me around," Korra heard Tahno mumble quietly.

She chanced peering inside the room once more and saw him looking up at Tumak, his head bent slightly downward. The naked light bulb above him cast shadows over the features of his white face. There was fear in his eyes, a slight tremble in his frame, but he held the other man's stare without flinching.

"Interesting point," Tumak worded oily. "Especially considering your so called probending connections haven't turned out so well. PR isn't so easy when people don't like you anymore, is it? You've got nothing going for you, Tahno, nothing at all. So I'm going to ask you again one last time, why did you come back?"

"I didn't come back. I just didn't hide from you. What I did tonight was my sign off, 'cause I'm not doing this anymore. No more scamming, no more hurting people, and I'm not running anymore. From the cops or you."

"I've heard all this from you before, but we changed your mind, didn't we? Lucky for you, I don't think we'll be repeating that particular exercise. Since you're better dead than alive to me, how about we end our business relationship quickly so I can go take care of a few loose ends?"

Korra was about ready to make her entrance, when suddenly one of the other Monsoons spoke up. "Hold up, Mad Wolf, there's something else Tahno hasn't told you. He's friends with the Avatar. She was the one that helped him mess things up tonight."

"Well… that might just change things. Maybe," Tumak mused aloud, rubbing his chin contemplatively. "Tell you what, I might just give you one more chance. Think about it, Son. No more grunt work, no more of that dirty stuff your lily white hands have such a distaste for. Just buddy up with that Avatar bitch, and you can help me run this town. We might could even turn tonight's disaster into the best thing that ever happened for the Red Monsoons."

Korra watched with baited breath as Tahno's gaze lowered to the floor. Was he actually considering it?

Tumak closed in on Tahno, yanking his head back to force him to look him in the eye. "But first you've gotta give me a display of your renewed loyalty. Beg me for mercy, just like you did with old Amon," he grated out viciously. "You know what's coming for you if you don't. _Beg_."

Korra saw the look of despair in Tahno's face as he stared back at the gang leader with hollow eyes, and she waited for his compliance and pleas for mercy. But then something else seemed to come over him. His jaw became set with determination, and he glared up at the man with a defiant fire sparking in his pale eyes as a single word escaped his gritted teeth. "_No_."

Tumak backed away slowly towards Korra's position by the door. "We'll see about that," he said threateningly.

Korra didn't waste another second. Before any of the men had a chance to react, she jumped into the room with fire blazing from her fists right before she dropkicked the leader of the Monsoons to the ground. Shouts of pain sounded from the rest of Monsoons as she continued to set fires all around her and Tahno, and then she quickly set him free from his bonds.

The gang members began to retaliate with waterbending, to which Korra bent several huge gushes of air, sending several of them careening through the flimsy walls of the room. The overall structure of the old building wasn't holding up well to all the destruction, and it was becoming clear that it may not hold up for much longer.

"Run!" Tahno shouted at Korra as he pushed her to the exit, and they made their escape as the Red Monsoons were otherwise distracted.

Sometime later, an extremely tired Korra and Tahno were riding the ferry to Air Temple Island just as the sun was beginning to rise. Tahno remained still as he allowed Korra to heal up some injuries he had sustained from the course of the evening and listened as she spoke.

"There's not a very good chance we'll be able to rest any before demands for explanation start," she told him, wincing as she imagined what Tenzin's face would look like when she finally got home. "So I don't know about you, but once all the initial drilling is over, I'm gonna be out like a light. There's plenty of room for you of course. You can probably have your pick of rooms, and I'm sure the airbenders will let you stay as long as you want."

"I'm not going to stay with you, Korra." Tahno's voice was soft but still determined.

Korra's hands froze in the midst of their healing. "What? Why not?"

"I know too much about their plans," he said, choosing to look out over the water instead of at her. "The Monsoons aren't going to just leave me alone. Anywhere I go I'll be constantly watching my back, and whoever I'm with will be in just as much danger."

"Which is exactly why you have to stay," she insisted as she finished healing him and drew her hands away. "You've got to tell Beifong and the Council everything you know about the Red Monsoons, Agni Kais, or even what's left of the Triple Threats. It may be the best chance we have of finally gaining ground over all the gang activity in Republic City. Don't you realize that all the nonbenders who had begun to support the Equalists did so because of the abuse they got from all the gangs? Now that Amon is gone, I have to show the people that I haven't forgotten about the evil that was here before he came."

Korra reached for his hand and clasped it within hers, and only then did he shift to return her gaze.

"I need your help, Tahno. You've done so much already, but I'm asking you to stay and face this with me. It's not going to be easy, but I know you've got the guts. I just saw proof of that."

The look on his face told her no one had ever put that kind of faith in him before, and hope stirred in her heart as his hand squeezed hers back.


	4. Chapter 4 Convergence

/*Mature Content Warning*/

**I Want You to Stay**

* * *

_Chapter Four_

Convergence

* * *

No matter how hard she tried, Korra could not get used to Tahno's presence on the island. For one thing, his dark, somber exterior stood out like a sore thumb among Tenzin's cheerful family and the pleasant acolytes, but that hardly justified why thoughts of him rarely left her mind. Especially when she was trying to sleep at night.

The knowledge that he was in a bed somewhere under the same roof as her would sometimes have her tossing around in her sheets, punching her pillow in frustration. Some essence that Tahno possessed was causing some sort of aggravated energy to be pent up inside her, and it was steadily getting worse. She couldn't write it off as annoyance like she once had back when they were enemies; in fact she had felt no true animosity towards him at all since that fateful night when he had been "equalized".

Tahno had been nothing but cooperative and civil ever since he had agreed to stay at the Air Temple, so there was nothing she could find at fault with him. He had been very subdued at first, keeping his head lowered and barely speaking at meal times, and Korra had felt it would be best to give him his space for a while. He had been through a lot in the past few months after all.

But after a couple weeks of adjusting to the routines of the temple, as well as helping supply information about the Red Monsoons to the Council and the police, he seemed to be warming up more. Confidence returned to his manner and stride, and even some of that old charm was making a come around. In those weeks, Korra and Tahno didn't do much chatting outside of a brief greeting whenever they crossed paths, but each time she was left with a prickling of heat crawling up her spine and a fluttering pulse that she refused to acknowledge. The same feeling also came over her whenever their eyes happened to meet across the dinner table.

The reason behind all this mysterious energy hit her like a ton of bricks one afternoon while she was crossing one of the courtyards. Tahno was leaning casually against a wall and talking to a few of the Air Acolytes. Pretty, young, female acolytes. Even from the distance between them, Korra could still make out the smooth tone of his voice, and the blushes and fluttering eyelashes of the young women as they tittered up at him. Jealousy flared up inside her with such violence that for a moment she happily envisioned each one of them falling off a cliff.

"Oh, Avatar Korra!" one of the girls suddenly chirped as she noticed Korra standing there gawking at them. "Have you heard some of Tahno's stories? He's so funny!"

"Oh yeah, he sure is," Korra answered sourly as she walked closer to them. Tahno turned to face her expectantly as she approached, and there was nothing she could do to cover her ill mood. "You should hear about the time he met Naga. I never knew guys his age could make that kind of sound," she said before letting out a fake laugh. "By the way, Tahno, before I forget, Pema has that wart cream you were asking about."

That part was a boldfaced lie, and Korra wasn't entirely sure why it had jumped out of her mouth. Tahno stared at her quizzically with a raised eyebrow and she felt herself flush slightly, but she didn't care. She didn't want any other girls interested in him. _She_ wanted his flirtatious behavior, and she had never been adept at hiding her feelings. Then without another word she turned on her heel and left before he could retort.

Later that night she laid in bed with too many thoughts running through her mind to possibly get any sleep, so she quickly gave up in favor of a walk under the stars in hopes it would give her a clearer head. And apparently she wasn't alone in her restless night. She found Tahno out away from all the sleeping quarters, practicing his waterbending, and she was suddenly struck by the pleasing way he pivoted his figure with the fluid movements.

"Ah," he said as he caught sight of her watching him. "Did you bring my wart cream?"

Korra chewed on her lip awkwardly before responding. "Very funny. I'm not sure why I said that earlier, okay?"

"You know, you haven't said much of anything to me lately, except when the topic of the Monsoons come up. Then it's all business," he informed her while letting a stream of water slosh down into a bucket.

"You've been great with all that by the way. Lin told us today that her force has just about closed in on Mad Wolf, and it's all thanks to you."

"Glad to be of service," Tahno said with a false lightness. "So, you can't sleep either?" he asked, changing the subject.

Korra shook her head. "I've had some stuff on my mind…" she trailed off, aware that he was observing hey carefully. "And anyway, I've always preferred staying up late. Tenzin hates it when I do though. He thinks a 'disciplined spirit' should be early to bed, early to rise."

Tahno rolled his eyes. "No disrespect to Tenzin, but I don't think that's even remotely true. It's those damn firebenders that like to get up at the crack of dawn to greet the sun, and airbenders too I suppose. Waterbenders are natural night owls, fueled by the moon. You may be the almighty Avatar, but water is as much your heart and soul as it is mine."

"That's good. I'm gonna use that on him next he snaps at me for sleeping late," she stated as she couldn't help but smile. "So what move were you working on?" she asked, gesturing to the bucket.

"Nothing, just playing around with some of the basics. It's soothing," Tahno answered with a shrug. "It's strange how much more you appreciate the fundamentals of the thing you love after it's been taken away from you," he murmured quietly before shaking himself back into a lighter mood. "So… we never scheduled that rematch, did we?"

Korra narrowed her eyes. "It was kind of difficult to do that after you ran off," she accused.

"I honestly never thought there'd be an opportunity," he replied in defense. "It was just something that came to mind while I was with you. It was like for a moment I had forgotten I was as good as dead."

"Well you're _not_ dead," she said with a crafty glimmer in her eye. "So I hope you're not actually trying to back out of it."

Tahno let out a low chuckle. "In your dreams."

"Alright then, let's do it."

"What, right now?"

"Sure. Unless you have something better to do," she challenged.

His lips formed a sly, half grin as his eyes briefly sized her up. "Alright, alright," he worded, lifting his palms as if it he was doing her a favor. "But we do it probending style, official rules and all," he listed, ticking off his fingers, "and waterbending only."

"Probending rules, huh? I wonder why? You never seemed to care that much about them before," Korra observed suspiciously as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"I just want it clear what this is," Tahno clarified. "I'm not asking for a one on one duel with the Avatar. I'm not an idiot. All I want is a rematch with my old probending rival."

"And how do I know you won't break any of those rules?"

"If you can _prove_ I break any, I'll forfeit," he ceded, giving her a wink.

It didn't take long for them to prepare an area. They went further from the temple so as not to disturb anyone, locating a good spot towards the back part of the island near the beach. Korra earthbent trenches into the ground and filled them with water after making a tiebreaker-sized ring for them to fight in, and then they both stretched before facing off. The bright, nearly full moon shone down on them, giving just enough light.

The battle started off slowly as they each took the time to watch each other's movements, zeroing in on the ideal spots for attack. Korra could feel the moon pumping energy into her chi pathways and knew that he must be feeling it too. Ice wasn't allowed in probending, so nothing but flowing water passed between them as they struck, kicked, and dodged. Several times one of them would have the other nearly to the edge of the circle before the one almost overtaken did some clever maneuver that had them right back in the center again. They began going faster and faster as the minutes wore on, and despite the slight chill in the air, they were both eventually covered in sweat and panting.

At one point, Tahno took advantage of Korra getting back on her feet after a fall to quickly strip his shirt over his head. Korra did the same a little later as he was recovering from one of her water strikes, leaving just her midriff-baring undershirt. As hot as she was feeling, Korra was getting anything but tired. The excitement was building, growing stronger as the shifting of his muscles was now clear for her to see, adrenaline speeding up as he kept his predatory gaze glued to her body as they circled around each other.

Finally, Korra was sure she had him. She was just about to deliver the blow that was sure to knock him out of the ring, but a split second before she could, he twisted around, switching their positions. Then, faster than she could blink, he hooked his foot around her ankle and brought them both crashing to the ground with her on top of him. He flipped them over and pinned her down so she couldn't hop back up.

She still wasn't out yet according to the rules of probending, but she was suddenly finding herself unable to move. They were both breathing hard, bodies hot and pulsing against each other as their eyes remained locked in unsettling intensity; deep, ocean blue staring up into light, icy blue. It was too much. Korra grabbed his shoulders, prepared to push him away, but instead she pulled.

Instantly Tahno dropped his head down to meet hers, attaching their lips with unadulterated hunger. Korra's hands slid down the length of his back, urging him to push against her more, then they went up to grip his hair. She used her hold to find the best angle as their kisses deepened, and she arched her back, pressing herself closer to him, wanting _more_ of him. He seemed to reciprocate her unspoken need and groaned as her thigh rubbed against his erection.

Korra wrapped her legs around him and rolled them over so that she was on top, straddling his lap. She lifted up to remove her undershirt, and he quickly sat up with her, moving his mouth to her bared breasts. She threw her head back and moaned up at the stars as his lips covered one nipple and his fingers tweaked the other. Then he was wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her back to him, using his teeth to nip at the smooth skin of her neck.

Before long he was on top of her once again as they made short work of the rest of their clothes. Then he guided his length inside her as she bit lightly down on his shoulder, closing her eyes against the initial discomfort. Pain turned to pleasure as he rotated his hips, and she began to move with him. The rhythmic push and pull of their bodies at first matched that of the waves on the shore not too far away, but soon they were moving faster.

Their sounds of ecstasy became muffled as their lips and tongues intertwined, as they kissed and nibbled at each other's jaw or neck, or as they gasped into each other's hair. She heard Tahno's moans growing louder as he apparently was nearing his climax, and then he moved a hand down to where they were connected. Her pleasure spiked impossibly higher as his fingers worked against her clitoris, and she felt her own release throw her into a state of absolute bliss as the white hot waves rolled through her nerve endings and seemed to stretch out to her fingers and toes.

A minute later they were laying side by side, Tahno propped up on his elbow as he skimmed his fingertips back and forth from between her breasts to her naval. Korra met his satisfied smirk with one of her own as they took the peaceful moment to catch their breath.

"So who won?" she asked him after a couple more minutes.

A small laugh left Tahno's mouth as he quirked an eyebrow. "Let's call it a tie and have another rematch later," he said in answer before sweetly touching his lips to hers once more.


End file.
